A subset of haematopoietic stem cells plays a key role in immune system ageing through controlling the production of innate cells, according to a new study.
The findings come from a study of mice, led by scientists at the University of Southern California, USA. They say their research showed "striking" differences in the ageing of the immune system, even among mice raised in identical conditions and the same genetic background.
The research, published in Cellular and Molecular Immunology, suggests a minority of stem cells (30-40%) are responsible for age-related imbalance in the immune system. A big increase in innate immune cells relative to adaptive immune cells led to a process of early ageing of the immune system.
The researchers say they identified genes that caused early ageing of the immune system, through triggering the proliferation of the stem cells that generate innate cells.
Researcher Anna Nogalska said: "In the elderly human population, the immune system often tips into producing an overabundance of innate immune cells, which can contribute to diseases such as myeloid leukaemia and immune deficiencies.
"Our study suggests how we might promote a more youthful immune system to combat these common diseases of ageing."
Study leader Rong Lu said: "Our study provides compelling evidence that when a small subset of blood stem cells overproduces innate immune cells, this drives the ageing of the immune system, contributes to disease, and ultimately shortens the lifespan."
Source: Nogalska A, Eerdeng J, Akre S, Vergel-Rodriguez M, Lee Y, Bramlett C, Chowdhury AY, Wang B, Cess CG, Finley SD, Lu R. (2024) “Age-associated imbalance of immune cell regeneration varies across individuals and arises from a distinct subset of stem cells.” Cellular and Molecular Immunology, 23 October 2024, doi: 10.1038/s41423-024-01225-y.
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-024-01225-y
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